Scorched Earth - Autumn 1944 - History of North Norway's scorched-earth tactics

Aug 22, 2026

Autumn 1944 in North Norway, Adolf Hitler ordered a forced evacuation of Troms and Finnmark, including burning buildings, slaughtering cattle, and destroying infrastructure. The book examines personal, political, and military dimensions of the “scorched-earth” strategy, and addresses why the Russian Army withdrew from Finnmark. It also explores how German officer Lothar Rendulic avoided punishment at the Nürnberg war trials, and how ordinary people coped with scorched-earth policies amid harsh winter conditions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Scorched-earth tactics in North Norway (Autumn 1944)

Evacuation, destruction, and civilian survival

Military decisions and war-trial accountability

Scorched Earth Original title: Brent jord Publisher: Gyldendal 2016 Non fiction / History Autumn 1944 Adolf Hitler ordered a forced evacuation of North Norway: Tromsand Finnmark. Buildings to be burned, cattle slaughtered and infrastructure destroyed. 50 000 inhabitants were to be evacuated. Half of them disobeyed the order, not all of them survived the winter 1944-1945 under miserable conditions. Asbjørn Jaklin describes personal, political and military sides of Hitler’s “Scorchedearth” tactics in North Norway. Why did the Russian Army withdraw from Finnmark? How could the responsible German offiser, Lothar Rendulic, avoid a sentence during the war trial in Nürnberg? And how did ordinary people deal with “Scorched-earth”? Jaklin delivers the answers. “Probably the most important book to be published in Norway this year.” Solgunn Solli, Altaposten “... moving, closeup portraits, most of them of ordinary people, seldom have we come so close to the drama and the suffering ...” Johan O. Jensen, Adresseavisen Asbjørn Jaklin Asbjørn Jaklin (b. 1956) is a bestselling, highly acknowledged non-fiction author from Norway. During the last decade he has specialized on war-and postwar history, stories with a strong narrative drive and a thorough and reliable research. His previous publications include titles such as "A history of Northern Norway",“The Northern Front”,“Ice Front. The cold war in the north”. His books have been translated into several languages. For“The Northern Front” he gained a nomination to the Brage Prize for best Norwegian non-fiction book in 2006. His crime series is set in Tromsø and Northern Norway with journalist Alex Winther as main character. Jaklin's fiction shows the drama and tensions that always envelop this rough and vulnerable region of the north, both in our time and in times of war, cold and“hot”. WHITE LIES is the fourth novel in the series. Other titles Churchill--obsessed with Norway (2023) The Great Norwegian Gold Escape (2021) The Battle of Narvik. 62 Desperate Days (2018) White Lies (2017) Red Zone (2014) Black Frost (2012) Stilton Literary Agency Hans Petter Bakketeig: +47 47 674759, [hanspetter@stilton. no](hanspetter@stilton. no) [www.stilton. no](www.stilton. no)

FAQs

What actions were ordered in North Norway during the autumn 1944 evacuation?

Adolf Hitler ordered forced evacuation, burning buildings, slaughtering cattle, and destroying infrastructure across Troms and Finnmark.

Why did the Russian Army withdraw from Finnmark?

The book presents an explanation for the Russian Army’s withdrawal from Finnmark, framed as a key question in the campaign’s context.

How did the responsible German officer avoid a sentence at the war trial in Nürnberg?

Asbjørn Jaklin discusses the responsible German officer, Lothar Rendulic, and explains how he avoided a sentence during the Nürnberg war trials.

Aug 22, 2026

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